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Plagued by vision issues, Freeman on bench

Plagued by vision issues, Freeman on bench

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Freddie Freeman

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ATLANTA -- Freddie Freeman has learned he can no longer wear contact lenses or have the peripheral vision necessary to hit while wearing glasses. The first baseman can only patiently wait on the arrival of sports goggles, with the hope they will alleviate the vision problems that have bothered him for three weeks.

Under Armour and Oakley both said they needed approximately a week to construct a prescription set of goggles for Freeman. There is some hope that at least one pair of these goggles might arrive by Tuesday.

"They said six or seven days, because you've got to cut the prescription and everything like that," Freeman said. "They've got to get the eye pupil distance. People think you just go and get goggles. It's not like that. They're going as quick as they can, because they know it's an emergency."

Freeman has missed three consecutive games and four of the past five. Since playing in Colorado at the beginning of this month, he has battled blurred vision caused by dry eyes. It has not been determined why his tear ducts are not creating moisture in either of his eyes. He has been using prescription eye drops for more than a week.

"It's going to take some time," Freeman said. "That's why I have taken the last couple days off. One day, I take a day off, and then all of sudden, I put the contacts in and go back to square one with all of the burning and everything. So I might as well take a couple [days] and take the drops like the doctors gave me, and hopefully that works.

"It's frustrating. I've never had this problem. I try to play through everything. When I can't play through something, it's even more frustrating, especially the little stretch we're going through. You just want to be out there to help the team. But I'm just helpless."

Freeman was hoping to get a quick fix courtesy of glasses that were made for him on Friday. But they did not provide him the peripheral vision that he needs, especially with his somewhat closed batting stance.

Freeman has also learned his vision has changed. The power of the contact lenses he wore earlier this year were 1.5 in both eyes His vision is now 1.75 in his left eye and 2.00 in his right eye.

Freeman said he is thinking about undergoing Lasik surgery after this season concludes. But he said he is somewhat concerned, because he is just 22 years old. Braves catcher Brian McCann was forced to undergo two Lasik procedures because his vision changed after he originally underwent the surgery in 2007 at 23 years old.

"I've always been against Lasik at a young age because of Mac," Freeman said. "But when you've got desperate times, it calls for desperate measures. I'll take anything right now."